Aerated water-supply device



G. M. FROST.

AERATED WATER SUPPLY DEVICE.

APPLICATION HLED- FEB. 7, H320. I 1,391,311. tente sept. 20,1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

c. M. FROST, A-ER'ATED WATER SUPPLY DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 7., 1920.

Patented Sept. 20, 1921.

. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

\z W MW v UNITED STATES CLARENCE MuF-ROS'I, OF ATTLEBORO, MASSACHUSETTS.

AERATED WATER-SUPPLY DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Sept, 20, 1921,

Application filed February 7, 1920. Serial No. 357,001.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CLARENCE M. Fnos'r, a citizen of the United States, residing at Attleboro, in the county of Bristol and 'State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Aerated VVater- Supply Devices, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to means for supplying moistened air to the fuel-intake of an internal-combustion engine.

It is an object of the invention to provide a device of that kind that will furnish air and water in proper regulated quantities and in V proper proportions to a combustible charge in an engine-intake after it has been delivered thereto from a carbureter or the like.

By the use of such a device carbon deposits in an engine and the improper functioning resulting therefrom are eliminated entirely or materially reduced, consumption of fuel is reduced, more power'is obtained from the engine with a given amount of fuel, and generally a more economical, eflicient, and satisfactory operation of the engine isobtained.

When read inconnection with the description herein, the details of construction, arrangement of parts, and installation of the device will be apparent from the accompanying drawings, forming part'liereof,'wherein an embodiment of the invention, adapted to be associated with a motor-vehicle, is disclosed, for purposes of illustration.

While the disclosures herein exemplify What now is considered {to be a preferable embodiment of the invention, it is to be un-' derstood that it is not the intention to be limited necessarily thereto ininterpretation of the claims, as modifications and adaptations within the limits of the claims can be made without departing from the characteristics of the invention.

Like reference-characters refer'to corre sponding parts in theviews of the drawings,

of which Figure 1 is a view 'o'f; the device installed in a motor-vehicle; a i I Fig. 2 1s a vert cal sectional View f th water-container; Y

Fig. 3 is a top view thereof, the cover bev ing omitted; i

Fig. 4 1s a Fig. 5 is a sectional valve;

bottom view of the cover;

view of the control- Fig. 6 is a View of the member for operat ing that valve and of the graduated dial associated therewith; and Fig. 7 is a view of the nozzle.

Having more particular reference to the drawings, Adesignates a pipe leading from a carbureter B to a manifold C of an internal-combustion engine D of a vehicle, E an upright partition or wall to the rear of the engine, and F the instrument-board of the vehicle.

A water-container 8, having a drain-valve 9 and a side opening closed by a sight-plate 10, is secured by lugs 11 to the partition E.

The upper wall of the container has a centrally-positioned comparatively large depression affording a chamber 12, which is closed by a substantially dome-shaped circular cover 13.

The cover has a central vertical threaded opening, which holds anexteriorly-threaded hollow outlet member or coupling 14. By turning in its threads the coupling may be made to extend more or less below the'cover, and its lower end 15 is burred to substantially' bell shape. A lock-nut 16 holds'the coupling against displacement from adjusted position. v

Machinescrews 17 hold the cover, in fluid tight association with the upper walf,

against a gasket 18 in an annular seat 19 of lower side and convex on its upper, and thus it is upwardly curved or substantially dome shape, it generally corresponds to the contour of the cover, and it is concentric therewith. I A series of equally-spaced cutter-holes 21, arranged in .a circle concentric with the diaphragm, extend substantially vertically therethrough from the interior of the -container to the chamber 12, and several over flow-holes 22, equally'spaced at the periphery'of the diaphragm, extend between the chamber and the interior of the container.

' At one side of the chamber 12, the upper wall of the container hasan intake-depression 23, from which extends inside of the container an air-intake tube 2 1. This tube is disposed substantially in a semi-circle, and

4 its free end-is open and spaced'from and directly below the center of the dia-' phragm 20.

A similar intake-depression 25 is at another side of the chamber in the upper wall, and preferably diametrically opposite to depression 23. A tube 26 extends into the container from depression 25, in its lower portion it is disposed substantially horizontally above the bottom of the container, in that portion it has a plurality of cutterholes 27 opening through its upper side, and it is closed at itsinner end.

A tube or pipe 28 is connected with the coupling 14 and afit'ords communication between the chamber 12 and a coupling memher 29. That coupling member contains a port controlled by a needle-valve stem 30, which is operable by a finger-piece'31 over a graduated dial 32 on the instrument board F.

Another tube or pipe 33 is connected with the coupling member 29 and is arranged to receive fluid r'rom the valve-controlled port. It leads therefrom to a spray-nozzle 34 extending into the pipe B that conveys formed charges from the carbureter to the manifold.

Enough water is supplied to the container to bring its level just below the inner end of the air-tube 24 by pouring into,

the depression 25, whence it passes through.

the immersed tube 26 and out of the holes In introducing water into the container, care should be exercised to avoid exceeding the maximum water level indicated by-the line W in Fig. 2. Ordinarily the container will have a water capacity for 100 miles of travel under operation of the motor-vehicle engine with which it is associated.

In operation, the fuel-inspirating action of the engine will create a partialvacuumv in the pipes 33 and 28 and in the container. This results in flow of air through-the tube 24 into the container. The ratio of the capacity of that tube to the combined area of the holes 27 of the tube 26 is such that air also will be drawn in through that tube and out of those. holes, whence it will percolate through the .water and reach the air-space thereabove in a moistened state. This moistened air is caught by and becomes mingled with the air emitted from the tube 24, and.

the mixture of air and water strikes the diaphragm 20 and the elements thereof be-' come more intimately commingled,

Moisture-ladened air is drawn into the chamber 12 through the holes 21 and thence into the pipe 28. Free and excess water that ma be in the chamber will drain out through the holes 22.

By reason of its dome shape or inclination from the center toward the periphery,

resulting'in the drainage of free or excess water from the central portion, the latter portion of the diaphragm has less moisture over it than its surface nearer the periphery,

and the central portion, therefore, is termed a dry-mound. W V i Accordingly, the nearer the bell-shaped entrance 15 of the coupling 14 is to the dry mound, the less water is drawn into the pipe 28. Thus the proportiton of water in the air drawn from the chamber may be regulated by turning the coupling and the entrance toward or from the dry mound. Ordinarily, a mixture of about 100 parts of air to one part of water is required. 7 I

-Air and water thus associated pass through the pipes 28 andv 33 to the nozzle 34, by which the mixture is sprayed in vaporized form into and thoroughly mixed with the fuel-charge in the pipe leading from the carbureter to the manifold. The amount of the mixture may be regulated by the valve 30, the dial 32being graduated to show the quantity supplied at the different positions of the finger-piece 31.

The vaporized water passing into association with the fuel-charge formed by the carbureter results in better combustion in the engine-cylinders through the action of its oxygen and hydrogen, much of the c ar-v bon that otherwise wouldbe deposited on' the cylinder-walls is consumed, most of that unconsumed is blown out with the exhaust, and such of it as mayremain is not in a form to incrust inthe cylinders.

Moreover, as a resultof the introduction of vaporized aerated water into the charge, the feed-pipe and ,engine-block are .full of vaporized fluids at all times, so that the-instant the intake-valve of a cylinder opens the cylinder fills at once to its capacity; when the valve closes and the piston compresses and .the charge is fired, increased power is derived from combustion ofa fully vaporized fuel under extreme pressure and the gases from the water permeate and loosen carbon that may have been deposited in the cylinder.

Having thus described my invention,

what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is I V 1. A device for supplying aerated water to an internal-combustion engine comprising a water-container having a chamber in its upper portion, a perforated partition be tween said chamber and the lower portion tral portion and openings at other places, an outlet member for said chamber positioned above and adjustable toward and from the central portion of said partition, a tube arranged to discharge air above the water level n wardly against the central portion of sai partition, and another tube arranged to discharge air into water in the container.

3. A device for supplying aeratedwater to an internal-combustion engine comprising a water-container having a chamber in its upper portion, a dome-shaped cover for said chamber, a dome-shaped partition between said chamber and the lower portion of the container having an imperforate central portion and openings at other places, an outlet member in said cover adjustable toward and from the central portion of said partition, a tube arranged to discharge air above the water level upwardly against the central portion of said partition, and another tube arranged to discharge air into water in the container.

4. A device for supplying aerated water to an internal-combustion engine, comprising a water-container having in its upper wall a depression containing a chamber and having also intake-depressions, a cover over said chamber, a perforated partition between said chamber and the lower portion of the container, a tube leading from one of said intake-depressions arranged to dis charge air above the water level and below said artition, a tube leading from another of said intake-depressions arranged to discharge air into water in the container, and an outlet member for said chamber.

5. A device for supplying aerated water to an internal-combustion engine, comprising a Water-container having in its upper wall a depression containing a chamber and having also intake-depressions, a domeshaped cover over said chamber, a domeshaped partition between said chamber and the lower portion of the container having passages therethrough, an outlet member in said cover adjustable toward and from said partition, a tube leading from one of said intake-depressions arranged to discharge air above the water level and below said partition and a tube leading from another of said intake-depressions arranged to discharge air into water in the container.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

CLARENCE M. FROST. 

